1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to databases, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to database structure and front ends.
2. Description of the Background Art
Large public computer networks, such as the Internet, allow advertisers to reach a worldwide audience twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This has made large public networks a cost-effective medium for marketing and selling products (e.g., goods and services). On the Internet, for example, advertising revenues allow companies to distribute free software or provide free access to websites. Needless to say, advertising helps fuel the Internet economy.
In order to provide relevant advertisements to consumers, companies engaged in online advertising maintain databases of advertising-related data. Such databases need to be accessed by sales and marketing personnel as they are the ones who typically plan and implement advertising campaigns. Unfortunately, some sales and marketing personnel are non-technical, and thus have difficulty working with the database. Front ends, which are application programs for interfacing with databases, may be provided to assist non-technical users in accessing the database. However, conventional front ends get harder to use as the number of selection choices for the database increases.
A database for storing online advertising-related data can grow very quickly because of the large number of consumers on the Internet. If a database is not structured properly, accessing the database may take longer as more data are stored in it. As a result, reports generated from the database may also take longer. This may discourage sales and marketing personnel from generating reports, and may keep some reports from being generated on time.
From the foregoing, an improved database structure and front end are generally desirable.